February 2007 Archives

I wrote a little while ago about attending the Shanghai Flickr group's meet up at La Bella Cafe a few weeks ago. I consider events like these to be one of the best things about Shanghai because (a) Shanghai's a big city, (b) Shanghai attracts a lot of talented people, and (c) there is so much life and change to document in Shanghai.

In fact, I believe that you need both a lot of (b) in (a) so you get a lot of (c) covered [yeah, I got confused just writing this].

I liked the slideshow so much, that I have basically streamed it as my OS X screensaver to enjoy in my spare moments (just a like a changing picture frame).

This is how I did it.

• You need Mac OSX.
• You need a Flickr account.
• You need to install a screensaver plug-in that allows you to display your choice of Flickr photos on your own OSX system. The screensaver is can be obtained along with the fabulous (and free) Flickr accessory software, 1001. This is created & distributed from the gang at Kula Software, and allows you to do heaps of cool stuff with Flickr. Read their online How-To to get a better feel on what 1001 can do for you.

1. Install 1001 program (optional).
Download the 1001 package and install it on your OSX system. After installation of the software, run 1001. You will then be presented with an authorisation screen which will allow 1001 to use your Flickr account. You will need to be online for the authorisation process to go ahead.

You don't need to install 1001 to use the screensaver plug-in - essentially they are separate entities, but 1001 is so handy that I can't see a reason as to why you wouldn't install it anyway.


2. Install 1001 Screensaver.
Ensure that you've installed the 1001 screensaver into the correct location as described in the Installation instructions.


3. Enable 1001 Screensaver.


Go to System Preferences -> Desktop & Screensaver -> Screensaver. If you followed the installation instructions correctly, there should be a '1001' option to select from in the left frame.


4. Configure 1001 Screensaver.


Select 1001 from the left-frame, and then select Options from the main panel. You will be presented with another window from which you'll need to make choices.


1. Select the Authorization tab.


You need to authorise the 1001 screensaver to stream photos from Flickr. This authorisation is separate from the 1001 program authorisation, so you will need to do it again. This also means that you can install the 1001 screensaver without installing the 1001 program (but why would you?). Click on the Authorise button.


Your web browser will then launch, and ask you to allow the screensaver program Use your flickr login details to do this. The authorised program should be s1001 (screensaver 1001).


Then return to the System Preferences -> Desktop & Screensaver -> Screensaver -> 1001 -> Options -> Authorize window and select Finish to complete the authorisation process. You should then see that you're logged in under your Flickr account name.


2. Select the Streams tab.


Here you can select from a wide variety of options on what flickr images to stream to your screensaver. You can select from default options like flickr's Interestingness option, or from your own customised options. To create your own stream conditions, select the '+' icon to create a new stream. Rename the new stream to 'my stream name' and then use the pull-down options to configure this new stream. You can choose to stream images either from any flickr tags, or from your own flickr contacts, groups or tags. The options are limitless, so play around with it. In my case, I chose 'Groups', and from my flickr account options, 'Shanghai Flickr Meetup Slideshow'. You can also select more than 1 stream to display at once if you choose.


3. Select the Options tab.


Here you can select how often your streamed images will be refreshed, how many images you will store on your own computer, and the minimum size of the images you want to display. The last is a good one to play around with, as I've found that many photos streamed from flickr can appear pixellated on screens showing greater than 1024x768 pixels. This tab also shows you a big selection of 'keyboard shortcuts' to manage your 1001 slideshow. I usually use the following. Side-arrow keys for for browsing through your slideshow, 'd' to remove photos from your slideshow, but to also (which is the best function IMHO) the 'f' key to select an image as a flickr Favourite. Yes, this shows up in your flickr profile and helps you to browse flickr without having to hit your web browser.




Then hit OK to save all your 1001 option configurations.



5. Test & Use the 1001 Screensaver.
You should still be in the Screensaver System Preferences panel. If not, navigate back to it.

Go to System Preferences -> Desktop & Screensaver -> Screensaver.

Use the handy 'Test' button to see how well the 1001 screensaver works.

Now all you have to do is configure the settings on your OSX system to manage when your screensaver activates. I usually choose 3 minutes without activity as when to start my screensaver. You may need to check that your Energy Saver configurations to send your computer's display to sleep doesn't conflict with your Screensaver settings. You can check this by navigating to...

System Preferences -> Desktop & Screensaver -> Energy Saver

At first use, you may not have a lot of images to display. This is due to the refresh rate that you choose on the 1001 screensaver options. You will also have to have an internet connection to download images. If you're not online, the caching function in the 1001 screensaver allows you to store some images on your computer's hard-drive.

So, that's how you can get your Shanghai Flickr Meet-up Slideshow (or insert group of your choice) fix until the next time!

Gee, CNY really upsets the apple-cart here in China. Blogging included. I took a step back from extraneous things like posting here, there and pretty much everywhere else. I channeled most of my post-sickness energies into the second-stage launch of Linda's little enterprise.

To celebrate that, we just got back from a quick trip to Nanjing. Unfortunately, our main reason for going there didn't eventuate - namely visiting the Nanjing Massacre Memorial. It is closed until December 15th 2007 if you're interested. You have got to love the lack of information on all the official (English) websites for the site.

As for now, it is time to put the feet up once again, and enjoy a touch of slothdom before the day starts once a new. Just wish they'd stop letting off fireworks right outside our window.

I have just had my first major winter illness for as far back as I can remember. For the last 4 days, I've wavered between being an a puddledom of sickness to having most of my faculties. I forgot how awful being struck down by flu can be like.

All I can say is that I love Chinese super-strength pseudoephidrine, the mysterious packets of banlangen keli we picked up, and Lin for letting me use the couch most of the time. Watching episodes of the TV show Weeds has helped ease the discomfort too.

A scene from the Flash game, Stick Cricket.

I saw an article on The SMH yesterday that linked to this game, Stick Cricket. It is pretty awesome. Very addictive and really suited to cricket tragics like myself.

And you even get bounced. Check it out!

I'm currently leading a truly geeky lifestyle. Lots of time on the internet, as well as meeting people through it.

One typical example of this occurred last weekend. I dragged Linda along to my first Flickr meet-up in Shanghai at the La Bella Cafe on Saturday night.

I have found that reconciling with my geeky ways has always been difficult proposition. I grew up surrounded by sport-dominated society, which bred the stereotype of computer users as nerds. Then there was the 90's, which was a little more favourable to the average computer user, but socialising through the net? Only losers did this. So, an escapade like joining up with a bunch of photo enthusiasts through essentially a web-bulletin board is instantly tainted by these formative-year stereotypes. I admit I'm far more comfortable with the idea of a web-society meetup since the last few years, in particular due to my move to Shanghai. The web is usually the first medium that many expats like myself socialise through. If you take my current lifestyle as an example, over the past few years, I am seeing more and more of my life dominated by people I meet online through online-advertised events or organising sporting sides, or by keeping in contact with my older friends through emails or blogging.

So, I started with some simple socialising, and now it appears I'm potentially going to start making some income through the online world. I'm spending more and more of my day online, chatting using Skype or GChat, email-tagging support or friends, or cruising around looking for information.

So, getting back to the Flickr meetup topic. Despite my growing ease with my internet socialisation, jumping into the Shanghai Flickr fold is a little more intimidating due to the fact that I'm a hack photographer surrounded by some truly talented people. Absolutely brilliant in fact. This was evidenced by the contributor slideshow presentation by the Shanghai Flickr group. There were indeed some excellent photographs on display and almost everyone was transfixed by the presentations. I've now found a few more photographers who's work I can browse at my leisure.

While my stay was short there due to other events on that evening, we did have fun bumping into a few other Shanghai souls (both old & new), and we certainly will try to attend the next event as well.

If you want to see the quality of the photographs contributed to the evening, go and check out this link.

Right now I'm trying to pull myself out of a funk. Not the China Funk, but one where your hopes & dreams appear to have gotten out of apparent reach through matters that have thought to have been in your control, but have then found to be out of your control.

Part of me feels that I'm stuck here in Shanghai for the time-being due to personal reasons, but the main angst eating away at me recently has been the complete lack of direction to hit that next goal in my life. Major goal-setting isn't something I've revisited very much during the past few years as I've had a strong eye on getting my qualifications and experience as a scientist. It appears my choices in both areas have been somewhat questionable, as have my reactions to the outcomes in this area. I don't believe that quitting my last job was an incorrect step. I was essentially either a victim of a business' change of direction, or grossly misled to my role in the company & the potential for my skills to impact that business. Moving on was the right choice, but for the longer amount of time I've been away from that position, I've fallen for the romanticism of 'it wasn't that bad'. Second-guessing myself has become an art-form built from my well-honed process of careful calculation & planning, an art-from that I've been dwelling with for far too long.

I now recognise that I had become that person consumed with the pursuit of recognition for my skills & learning, to the point that the person had become a secondary or tertiary component of who I was or what I could be. Science came first - everything else was an optional extra.

I believe that the pain that I currently inflict upon myself stems from that my inherent self-belief that I always make correct & well-considered decisions regarding major events that affect my life, and on this and other occasions that my own well-founded process and deliberation could have been so wrong.

My own ego has taken a pounding from this decision/revaluation approach being fallible, and also my previous experience where at times, I've truly felt that my abilities as a professional appeared to devalued by my peers and superiors, or at other times, completely worthless to them. Combined with my approach where I came to identify my own self-image more from my title and skills rather than as a complete human being with other well-rounded skills and abilities, I found myself in quite a black place.

A lot of the former 'cognitive conditioning' stems from my time & experiences at university as a graduate student, and led me to a place that I questioned my own-self identity and worth to a point where I believed that I have little to offer to the world except for an assorted range of puns, snarky tidbits written on seldom-seen webpages, and explanations of scientific principles using restaurant table condiments and sauce bottles.

But I'm learning to see past this introspection. Because it can consume you. And it has consumed a lot of my time of late. And, I recognise that I do have a lot to offer and it is worth material gain to a lot of people in world. But it appears not here in SH (well, as far as I've looked so far). For a scientist, there really hasn't been too many options that have grabbed my liking. I've been offered a temporary relief teaching contract at a local international school, but the offer is truly an awful joke considering what they charge per student each semester. You earn far more in the generic English teaching area. Perhaps coming into the new academic year there will be more opportunities in science education from mid-to late 2007.

I've been a lot more pro-active of late and my life is getting a lot better for it. The work I've been putting into various little projects of mine is starting to come together, and I should get some form of income from it over the next 6 months. I also get to teach myself new skills, and believe that it shows initiative - something that I don't believe I have been able to exhibit in my past occupations except for getting around inevitable scientific/logistic roadblock.

I've thought a lot recently about where I could go next. For now, I'm still deliberating how much I should go back to go forward.